Wellesley Township adopts AI governance policy for municipal operations

By Galen Simmons

Wellesley Township has adopted a new governance policy designed to ensure municipal staff use artificial intelligence (AI) responsibly as the technology becomes increasingly common in workplaces.

At its June 23 meeting, Wellesley council approved an AI governance policy establishing how the emerging technology can be used in municipal operations while setting safeguards around privacy, security, transparency and accountability.

“This AI governance policy establishes a clear and practical framework for how the township can safely and responsibly use emerging AI tools in our day-to-day operations,” township director of corporate services Jeff Dyck said. “The intent is not to restrict innovation but to enable it in a controlled way, ensuring any use of AI protects resident and municipal information.”

The policy provides a framework for staff, council members, volunteers, committees of council, contractors and consultants using municipal systems or data to responsibly incorporate generative AI tools into their work.

According to the report, the township developed the policy in response to the rapid growth of AI technologies and the opportunities they present to improve efficiency, support decision-making and enhance municipal service delivery. At the same time, the policy is intended to reduce risks related to privacy, data security, accuracy, bias and legislative compliance.

The policy makes clear that AI is intended to assist municipal personnel, not replace human judgment or decision-making.

“The policy emphasizes that staff remain fully responsible for their work with AI serving only as a support tool, not a decision-maker, and outlines firm guidelines including prohibitions on using confidential data or relying on AI for hiring decisions,” Dyck said.

Staff using AI-generated information will remain responsible for verifying its accuracy, checking for bias or incomplete information and ensuring any work produced meets the township's standards before it is used.

To protect residents' privacy and confidential municipal information, the policy also limits what information can be entered into AI tools and restricts municipal business to approved technologies that meet the township's security requirements.

For now, Microsoft Copilot is the only AI platform approved for municipal use because it operates within the township's secure Microsoft 365 environment and provides additional privacy and data-protection measures compared to publicly available AI platforms.

The policy also prohibits the use of AI for certain activities, including screening or evaluating job applicants and creating images of people for official municipal purposes.

Where AI contributes substantially to a document or other work product, municipal personnel will also be expected to disclose its use.

Township staff say the policy will allow Wellesley to take advantage of emerging technologies while maintaining public confidence in municipal decision-making and protecting sensitive information.

Following council approval, the policy will be shared with municipal personnel, with management responsible for reinforcing expectations and reviewing the policy periodically as AI technology continues to evolve.